When you picture a battle, you might imagine two armies colliding in a roar of cannon fire, but the real secret to many battles won lies in the whispers of spies. Reliable intelligence lets a commander decide when, where, and how to strike, often turning the odds on their head.

How Espionage Shaped Battles Won

10 1914)

The Dutch launched a protracted conflict against the Sultanate of Aceh on Sumatra, all because the island was a goldmine for black pepper. By the 1890s, the war had morphed into an Islamic resistance against Western imperialism. The Dutch turned to Dr. Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje—a renowned orientalist who had converted to Islam—for insight.

Hurgronje infiltrated the local religious elite and discovered that while they were fervent about defending Islam, they were largely indifferent to the true motives behind the Dutch‑Aceh clash. He advised Major Joannes van Heutsz to stoke tension between the Acehnese rulers and the devout locals.

The plan worked like a charm. Dutch troops began handing out food and medicine to villages and denounced the aristocratic Acehnese elite. Impressed by Hurgronje’s Qur’anic knowledge, the locals issued a fatwa in 1894 calling for peace and cooperation with the Dutch colonial administration. Allied with Indonesian tribes, the Dutch finally suppressed the Aceh state by 1914.

9 Port Arthur (1904)

The Russo‑Japanese War of 1904–1905 hinged on the fortified harbor of Port Arthur (now Lüshun Port). To breach the Russian minefield and bring their battleships within striking distance, the Japanese needed precise intelligence. Their ace in the hole was Sidney Reilly, a Russian double‑agent nicknamed “the Ace of Spies.”

Posing as a British operative, Reilly, together with a Chinese engineer, bluffed their way into the Russian naval headquarters just weeks before the battle and absconded with the harbor’s defense schematics. The stolen plans revealed the exact locations of mines and shore batteries, giving the Japanese fleet a clear path.

Armed with that knowledge, the Japanese managed to hold their own—losing five ships and 90 men while the Russians lost seven ships and 150 men. The engagement helped Japan sustain its momentum, eventually winning the war and sparking unrest that contributed to the 1905 Russian Revolution.

8 Austerlitz (1805)

Napoleon’s masterpiece at Austerlitz is often celebrated as a tactical marvel, but a sizable portion of that triumph belongs to Karl Schulmeister, Vienna’s chief of police and a French double‑agent. Schulmeister supplied Napoleon’s generals with any intelligence they demanded.

One of his most audacious moves came in 1805 when he slipped into Lieutenant‑Marshal von Leiberich’s headquarters and presented a forged newspaper claiming that France was on the brink of revolt and its troops were retreating from Ulm. The Austrian commander, believing the story, marched his forces to intercept what he thought would be a weakened French army.

Instead, Napoleon had concealed 22,000 fresh troops in the rear. The surprise reinforcement, combined with the misinformation supplied by Schulmeister, allowed the French to crush the Austro‑Russian coalition in a battle that is still hailed as one of history’s greatest victories.

7 The Six‑Day War (1967)

By 1967, Egypt had massed 950 tanks, over a thousand cannons, and 100,000 troops along the Israeli border. Yet Israel’s pre‑emptive air strike—an operation that turned the war into a six‑day sprint—was only possible because of the painstaking work of Aharon Yariv, director of the Israeli Military Intelligence section, Aman.

Yariv spent two years planting agents in Egypt who masqueraded as Arab cooks and soldiers. Those spies mapped every Egyptian air base, catalogued every pilot’s name, recorded commanders’ schedules, and even cracked the Egyptian battle codes and communication frequencies.

When the strike launched, Israel destroyed 338 Egyptian aircraft and eliminated over 100 pilots, securing absolute air superiority for the remainder of the conflict. The rapid Israeli victory can be traced straight back to Yariv’s intelligence network.

6 1943)

The Soviet triumphs at Moscow and Stalingrad owe a great deal to Richard Sorge, a Soviet spy whose exploits inspired Ian Fleming’s James Bond. By 1941, Sorge had cultivated a web of agents in Tokyo, giving him access to Japanese‑German strategic plans.

Sorge warned Stalin of the impending German invasion, but the Soviet leader dismissed the warning. When the war began, Sorge’s later intel proved crucial: he informed Stalin that Japan would not threaten the USSR unless Moscow fell. This allowed the Soviets to keep millions of troops in the heart of Russia instead of diverting them to the Far East.Both Moscow and Stalingrad held, and the Soviets eventually pushed the Germans back. Tragically, Sorge’s espionage was uncovered by the Japanese, who executed him after the Russians refused to acknowledge his contributions.

5 The Invasion At Incheon (1950)

When the Korean War erupted, North Korean forces captured Seoul within two days and threatened to dominate the peninsula. General MacArthur authorized a reconnaissance mission led by Lt. Eugene Clark. Clark’s team returned not only with enemy defensive layouts but also with an unexpected piece of geography: the massive tidal range at Incheon.

The Incheon tide can swing a staggering 9 meters (29 feet), creating a narrow window when the mudflats become traversable. Until Clark’s report, the UN planners assumed they would have to assault heavily fortified beaches that could not even support the weight of troops.

Armed with precise tide data, MacArthur orchestrated a surprise amphibious landing that caught the North Koreans off‑guard. The operation paved the way for a UN counter‑offensive that recaptured Seoul and pushed the front line to the Chinese border.

4 Midway (1942)

Six months after Pearl Harbor, U.S. naval intelligence intercepted Japanese communications that cryptically referenced a target “AF.” The most plausible guess was Midway Atoll, but without certainty the U.S. could not concentrate its forces there.

Lieutenant Commander Joseph Rochefort’s team devised a clever ruse: they broadcast a fake message claiming Midway was suffering a water shortage. Within two days Japanese radio traffic mentioned “AF” needing water, confirming Midway as the target.

Additional intelligence breakthroughs—such as a complete order of battle for the Japanese navy and a scout plane that located the enemy fleet—gave the Americans a second‑by‑second picture of Japanese movements while the Japanese remained blind to American positions. The resulting battle wiped out the Japanese carrier fleet, sealing a decisive turning point in the Pacific war.

3 First Bull Run (1861)

Before the Civil War’s first major land clash, the Confederates set up a sophisticated spy ring in Washington, D.C. Captain Thomas Jordan recruited several hundred civilians—couriers, housewives, bankers—to feed information to the South. The ring’s star was socialite Rose O’Neal Greenhow, who moved effortlessly through high‑society gatherings and extracted valuable details.

In July 1861, Greenhow passed Confederate General Pierre Beauregard intelligence on Union troop movements, strengths, and morale. While the information didn’t enable a full‑scale ambush, it allowed Beauregard to avoid vulnerable flanks and choose a defensive position at Blackburn’s Ford, a sharp river bend.

The Confederates placed General Thomas Jackson’s vanguard there. Jackson’s refusal to retreat under fire earned him the nickname “Stonewall.” Reinforcements soon arrived, and the Union forces were driven off the field, giving the Confederates a victory at First Bull Run.

2 Tannenberg (1914)

The German victory at Tannenberg—one of World War I’s most striking successes—owed much to the fledgling technology of radio. Russian operators, still learning encryption, often transmitted unprotected messages and repeated the same broadcasts multiple times.

German signals officers, led by Colonel Max Hoffmann, constantly monitored the airwaves and captured the Russian army’s plans in near‑real time. This intelligence allowed the Germans to shift the First Corps against the Russian Second Army, while the Russian First Army’s rescue attempt arrived too late.

The result was a crushing defeat for Russia: 100,000 prisoners, 50,000 casualties, and only 12,000 German losses. General Alexander Samsonov, commander of the Russian Second Army, could not bear the shame and took his own life.

1 Kursk (1943)

The Battle of Kursk, the largest armored clash in history, could have tipped in Germany’s favor—if not for Soviet intelligence. Months before the German offensive, the Soviet Union received detailed reports from the Lucy spy ring in Switzerland. “Lucy” was the codename for Rudolf Roessler, whose method of obtaining German war council information remains a mystery.

Roessler’s network relayed German strategic plans to Moscow within a day, sometimes within six hours. In March, the Soviets learned that Hitler intended to launch a massive push against Kursk.

Although Hitler aborted the operation on July 16 to focus on the Allied invasion of Italy, the Soviets used the foreknowledge to launch a powerful counter‑offensive. They reclaimed more territory than they had before the battle, and the Germans never again mounted a major offensive on the Eastern Front.

When you wonder about the twisted imagination behind the war, the question that keeps historians awake is: what exact plans Hitler would have rolled out if the Nazis had actually won? Below we break down ten of the most bizarre, horrifying, and oddly specific schemes that were drafted, ready to reshape the world in a fascist image.

How These Plans Hitler Would Have Implemented

10. Returning American Land To The Natives

Although the Nazis were ruthless white supremacists, they oddly showed a degree of acceptance toward Native Americans.

They forged ties with the American Indian Federation, turning the group into fervent Nazi sympathizers. Some members, like the self‑styled “Chief Red Cloud,” even plastered swastikas on their clothing and denounced Jews as “children of Satan,” claiming they controlled the Indian service.

“Chief Red Cloud” was, in fact, a fabricated identity adopted by Portland attorney Elwood A. Towner, a Native American; the genuine Chief Red Cloud died in 1909 and had no connection to Hitler.

The Nazis proclaimed that Native Americans were Aryans, dispatching undercover propaganda agents to the United States to incite a revolt against the government. In exchange, they vowed to return the ancestral lands to the Indigenous peoples.

Whether the promises were genuine or not, many listeners took them seriously. “Chief Red Cloud” (Towner) claimed he could mobilize an army of 750,000 Native Americans ready to fight for Hitler, promising that as soon as a Nazi force set foot on American soil, they would help tear the United States apart.

9. A Giant Space Mirror

One of the strangest Nazi schemes involved a colossal mirror placed in orbit, spanning about 1.6 kilometers (roughly one mile) in diameter and hovering 35,900 kilometers (22,300 miles) above Earth.

The concept resembled a malicious child using a magnifying glass to scorch ants: whenever the Nazis felt offended, they would tilt the mirror to reflect the Sun’s rays onto an adversary’s city, turning the beam into a searing weapon capable of igniting anything it struck.

The design even called for a full‑scale space station within the mirror, housing a crew that would survive on food and oxygen harvested from a cultivated pumpkin crop.

Modern scholars doubt the feasibility of such a weapon, yet the mastermind Hermann Oberth was so confident that after the war he attempted to persuade the Americans to construct it. Had he secured more time, the Nazis might have completed the mirror, casting a terrifying glare over the planet.

8. The Greater East Asia Co‑Prosperity Sphere

Japan, as Germany’s Axis partner, drafted its own sweeping blueprint: the Greater East Asia Co‑Prosperity Sphere. Under this plan, Japan would dominate every region east of the 70th meridian, encompassing most of India and everything beyond.

The sphere’s name sounded benevolent, yet it concealed a brutal agenda. Conquered peoples would be molded into “leaders of their people,” essentially serving as puppets for Japanese rule.

Japan already began rolling out the scheme, presenting it as liberation from Western imperialism under the slogan “Asia for Asiatics.” In reality, the peoples of Asia would be forced to accept Japanese authority.

Japanese would become the official language throughout the Eastern Hemisphere, with teachers dispatched to every school to provide “the guidance of Japanese culture” to young minds. Even Australia and New Zealand would fall under Japanese control, and Hitler believed this would mean the end of every white person living there.

7. A Great Wall Of Baby‑Makers

To counter the looming Japanese bloc, the Nazis envisioned a “living wall” of German colonists stationed along the eastern border, tasked with reproducing at a feverish rate.

Any veteran who had served twelve years in the Nazi army would be dispatched to this frontier, given a farm and a rifle, and ordered to produce as many children as possible.

These soldiers were required to marry local women—German spouses were forbidden—so that the offspring would blend German and local bloodlines, creating a new generation of half‑German children. Hitler demanded each frontline veteran father at least seven children to bolster the population.

6. Pitting America And England Against Each Other

Publicly, Hitler insisted he had no intention of invading the United States, calling the notion “as fantastic as the invasion of the Moon.” He blamed “warmongers” for inflating fear for profit.

Privately, however, he expressed a deep‑seated hatred for Americanism, describing it as “half Judaized, half Negrified.” He believed the United States would eventually turn against Great Britain.

Hitler imagined that once America entered the war, it would seize the chance to assault Britain. He claimed that England and America would eventually go to war with each other, each harboring the greatest possible hatred, and that one of the two nations would have to disappear.

If Britain fell first, Hitler said the United States would face the full might of the Third Reich. Conversely, if America remained standing after Europe’s defeat, the Nazis would force a direct confrontation.

5. Enslaving Eastern Europe

Beyond the Holocaust, the Nazis had a monstrous blueprint for the Slavic peoples of Eastern Europe, known as Generalplan Ost, aimed at eradicating their culture and populations.

The first wave targeted leaders: Soviet elites and cultural figures were systematically liquidated to prevent any sense of national pride from surviving.

Had the Nazis conquered Russia, they planned to deport 31 million Slavs to Siberia for forced labor, while a slave‑trade system modeled after American slavery would dispatch many more. To replace them, ten million ethnic Germans would be settled to create racially pure families.

Overall, within thirty years, the regime intended to deport or murder about 50 million people, effectively wiping out nearly every Eastern European.

4. Shooting Gandhi

In 1938, Hitler advised the British foreign minister to “shoot Gandhi,” and if that proved insufficient, to eliminate a dozen leading members of the Indian Congress.

Hitler regarded Indians as a “lower race” destined for Aryan domination, and he believed that, should the Nazis seize world power, Gandhi’s non‑violent resistance would be crushed.

During the war, Subhas Chandra Bose sought Hitler’s support for an Indian revolt against the British, rallying thousands. However, Hitler’s deep‑seated prejudices meant he never deployed Bose’s forces.

Instead, Bose allied with Japan, and India was slated to become part of the Greater East Asia Co‑Prosperity Sphere. If the Nazis later overran Japan, Hitler’s earlier declaration indicated that India would face harsh Aryan rule.

3. Enslaving All British Men

As Britain resisted, Hitler’s admiration for the English spirit waned, giving way to a desire to devastate their lives.

Under Nazi rule, every able‑bodied male aged 17‑45 would be transferred to continental Europe for forced labor, while women and children would remain at home until the boys turned seventeen.

All personal property would be confiscated, and any resistance would be met with immediate execution.

Heinrich Himmler even contemplated a more extreme measure: exterminating 80 percent of the British population as soon as the nation fell.

2. Letting Muslims Rule The Middle East

Surprisingly, Hitler expressed a preference for Islam over Christianity, declaring that the Mohammedan faith would have been more compatible with Nazi Germany.

Initially, he promised the Middle East to Italy, but later aligned with Haj Amin al‑Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, who shared enemies: the British, Jews, and Communists.

Al‑Husseini sought to lead a fascist uprising against the British, but Hitler instructed him to wait until the war with the USSR concluded. Nonetheless, they collaborated on a death squad targeting Jews in Palestine.

When the Nazis faced defeat, Hitler blamed the loss on insufficient cooperation with Muslim allies, lamenting that he could have “emancipated the Moslem countries.” Had the Nazis triumphed, the Middle East would have become a region where fascism and Islam co‑ruled.

1. Converting Eastern Europe Into Jehovah’s Witnesses

While the Nazis were not planning to make the entire empire Muslim, Heinrich Himmler envisioned converting Eastern Europe to Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Although the regime murdered tens of thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses in concentration camps, Himmler admired the group’s fanatic work ethic combined with pacifism, believing it could be harnessed for Germany’s benefit.

He ordered Dr. Ernst Kaltenbrunner to promote the religion throughout Eastern Europe, hoping the Witnesses’ dedication would strengthen the Nazi state while their pacifist stance would curb violent resistance.

Thus, under a victorious Nazi world order, the continent would have endured slavery, genocide, and advanced weapons, alongside a surprising prevalence of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The debate over who belongs on the pantheon of the greatest competitors is endless, but what about the champions who never actually lifted the trophy that defines a career? In this roundup of 10 great athletes, we celebrate the talent, the drama, and the heart‑breaking moments that kept them from winning the one title that would have sealed their immortality. From fairways to football fields, from the boxing ring to the marathon, these legends proved greatness isn’t measured only by a single trophy.

Why These 10 Great Athletes Still Inspire Fans

10 Greg Norman

Never won: Major US title

Greg Norman, the towering Australian known as “The Shark,” is widely regarded as one of the most gifted yet unluckiest golfers in modern history. His fluid swing and aggressive play made him a fan favorite, and many still argue he was the best ball‑driver of his era, second only to Jack Nicklaus. Norman captured the British Open twice, yet the three US majors forever eluded him. On five separate occasions he finished runner‑up in the Masters, the US Open, or the PGA Championship—each time leading deep into the final round before a heartbreaking collapse at the last putt. He was consistently the man to watch, but the final hurdle in America never fell his way.

Interesting fact: In 1997, former President Bill Clinton took a tumble on a set of stairs outside Norman’s house, tearing tendons in his right kneecap.

9 Jimmy White

Never won: World Championship

Nicknamed the “People’s Champion,” Jimmy White remains one of snooker’s most beloved left‑handed artists. His attacking, flamboyant style thrilled crowds, and he stormed his way to a record six World Championship finals, including an astonishing five‑year streak from 1990‑94. Yet each final ended in defeat, four of those losses coming at the hands of Stephen Hendry, the sport’s most decorated champion. The 1994 final epitomized heartbreak: needing only a routine black in the final frame, White missed the shot, gifting Hendry an 18‑17 victory. While critics sometimes argue White lacked a killer instinct, the fact remains he was forced to battle giants like Steve Davis and Hendry, making his near‑misses even more poignant.

Interesting fact: Jimmy’s beloved bull terrier, Splinter, was kidnapped in the late ’90s and held for ransom.

8 Brazil 1982 Team

Never won: World Cup

Brazil’s national side of 1982 is often hailed as the finest football team ever assembled, despite never clinching the World Cup that year. The squad, featuring icons such as Zico, Sócrates, Falcão, Junior, and Éder, dazzled with a free‑flowing, attack‑first philosophy: “If we score three, we’ll score four.” After cruising through the group stage with ten goals in three games, they entered the second round’s “group of death” against Argentina and Italy. A 3‑1 victory over the defending champions was followed by a 3‑2 loss to Italy’s Paolo Rossi, a match now etched into World Cup lore. Brazil’s defensive frailties were exposed, and Rossi’s hat‑trick sent Italy to the final, leaving the Brazilian maestros forever wondering what might have been.

Interesting fact: The Brazilian Gold Frog, the continent’s smallest amphibian, measures a mere 9.8 mm in length.

7 Dan Marino

Never won: Super Bowl

Renowned for a cannon‑like arm and lightning‑quick release, Dan Marino rewrote the NFL’s passing record books. Drafted by the Miami Dolphins, he became a starter midway through his rookie season and, by his second year, earned NFL MVP honors while shattering six single‑season records—including a then‑unthinkable 48 touchdown passes. Marino’s sole Super Bowl appearance came after that historic season, where the Dolphins fell to Joe Montana’s San Francisco 49ers. Though he never returned to the championship stage, his career amassed virtually every major passing record, many of which still stand. Marino’s legacy endures as a prototype for modern pocket passers.

Interesting fact: Marino made a cameo in Adam Sandler’s “Little Nicky,” cheekily asking the devil for a Super Bowl ring.

6 Gilles Villeneuve

Never won: F1 World Championship

Gilles Villeneuve’s meteoric Formula 1 career was tragically cut short in 1982 after a fatal crash during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. Despite a brief five‑year stint, his fearless, all‑out driving style left an indelible mark on the sport. He once posted an astonishing 11‑second advantage over the field in wet practice at the U.S. Grand Prix. Villeneuve’s six Grand Prix victories came largely in under‑powered machinery, yet his 1979 near‑title fight remains iconic. He obeyed team orders in the Italian Grand Prix, allowing teammate Jody Scheckter to take the win—a decision that cost him the championship by a mere four points.

Interesting fact: His son, Jacques Villeneuve, later captured the 1997 F1 World Championship.

5 Ted Williams

Never won: World Series

Ted Williams is widely hailed as baseball’s purest hitter, boasting a 21‑year career that included four MVP awards and two Triple Crowns. A Marine Corps pilot during World War II, Williams split his playing time between service and the Boston Red Sox, completing 16 full seasons. Despite his prodigious power and scientific approach to the plate, he never captured a World Series title. In his lone appearance in 1946, he went 0‑for‑4 in the decisive Game 7 after being struck on the elbow by a curveball the night before, forcing him to the hospital. His blunt demeanor with fans and the press kept him from becoming a beloved public figure, yet his statistical dominance remains unrivaled.

Interesting fact: Williams was an avid fisherman and earned a place in the Fishing Hall of Fame.

4 Ivan Lendl

Never won: Wimbledon

Ivan Lendl dominated men’s tennis throughout the 1980s, holding the world No. 1 ranking for five straight years and amassing three US Open titles, three French Opens, and two Australian Opens. He reached a staggering 19 Grand Slam finals, appearing in at least one final for 11 consecutive years—a feat matched only by Pete Sampras. Lendl’s baseline game, characterized by relentless consistency and powerful groundstrokes, made him a nightmare on slower surfaces. However, the fast grass of Wimbledon neutralized his strengths, and despite two final appearances in 1986 and 1987, he never secured the coveted trophy. His inability to fully adapt his serve‑and‑volley tactics on grass kept the Wimbledon crown just out of reach.

Interesting fact: North Korea issued a postage stamp honoring Ivan Lendl in 1986.

3 Charley Burley

Never won: World Title

Charley Burley, a biracial boxer of the 1940s, was feared so much that top welterweight and middleweight champions of the era refused to face him. Legends such as Billy Conn, Marcel Cerdan, Jake LaMotta, and even the incomparable Sugar Ray Robinson ducked his powerful punches. Racial politics further limited his opportunities; many white fighters avoided him, and promoters relegated him to bouts against opponents across multiple weight classes. Forced to work odd jobs, including garbage collection, to make ends meet, Burley retired early to pursue steady employment after never receiving a world‑title shot, despite having knocked out three champions in three different divisions.

Interesting fact: Burley turned down an invitation to compete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics due to Germany’s racist policies.

2 Johan Cruyff

Never won: World Cup

Johan Cruyff, a three‑time European Footballer of the Year, is often ranked just behind Pelé as the greatest player of the 20th century. In his sole World Cup appearance in 1974, he led the Netherlands to a stunning victory over Argentina and the eventual champions Brazil before falling to West Germany in the final. Cruyff earned the tournament’s Player of the Tournament award. After helping the Dutch qualify for the 1978 World Cup, he announced his retirement from international football, a decision that many believe cost the Netherlands a second title in ’78. Nonetheless, his club career glittered with ten league titles and three European Cups across Ajax, Barcelona, and Feyenoord.

Interesting fact: Cruyff was the first Dutch player ever to be sent off, receiving a one‑year ban from the Dutch FA.

1 Paula Radcliffe

Never won: Olympic Gold Medal

Paula Radcliffe burst onto the marathon scene with a stunning debut at the London Marathon, recording the second‑fastest women’s time ever. She soon set the two fastest marathon marks in history, each over three minutes ahead of her rivals. A leg injury forced her out of the 2004 Athens Olympics, where she finished far below her standard. Undeterred, she returned for Beijing 2008, battling a stress fracture diagnosed just three months earlier. Despite a strong start, cramping forced her to finish 23rd. Nevertheless, Radcliffe still holds the women’s marathon world record and commands four of the five fastest times ever recorded, cementing her status as the greatest female marathoner despite never standing on the Olympic podium.

Interesting fact: Radcliffe has battled both asthma and anemia, conditions that dramatically affect endurance performance.

These ten athletes prove that greatness isn’t solely defined by a single trophy. Their stories of near‑victories, relentless dedication, and unforgettable moments continue to inspire fans worldwide.

When we talk about World War II, the phrase “top 10 ways Germany might have won” instantly sparks the imagination. The Nazis entered the conflict with a startling element of surprise, having spent years honing their war machine while the Allies were still scrambling to understand the looming storm. Below we break down ten pivotal decisions that, if taken differently, could have rewritten history.

Top 10 Ways Germany Might Have Won

10 Germany Invaded Britain Instead Of The Soviet Union

Hitler’s choice to launch Operation Barbarossa in 1941 turned out to be the Achilles’ heel of his grand strategy. Instead of committing 4.5 million men against a Soviet Union that had just signed a non‑aggression pact, he could have struck at a Britain that was still reeling from the fall of France and desperately short on heavy equipment and motor transport.

After France capitulated, the British Expeditionary Force retreated, abandoning a sizable cache of artillery and armor. At that moment, the British Army was ill‑equipped to repel a full‑scale German invasion. By focusing on the Soviet Union, Hitler inadvertently gave Britain breathing room to rebuild, re‑equip, and eventually mount a sustained resistance that proved decisive.

The Eastern campaign also exposed the German army to a brutal winter it had not prepared for. The Soviet counter‑offensive in the cold months of 1941‑42 crippled the Wehrmacht, turning an offensive into a defensive slog that never fully recovered.

9 Germany Did Not Declare War On The United States

One of the most consequential missteps was Germany’s formal declaration of war on the United States after Pearl Harbor. Had Hitler exercised restraint, the United States might have delayed a full‑scale entry into the European theater, buying the Nazis precious months to consolidate gains.

Even though an unofficial state of hostility existed, American public opinion and congressional resolve could have been less fervent without a direct German declaration. This hesitation might have limited U.S. involvement in operations such as the North African landings, allowing German forces more time to fortify positions and possibly shift the balance of power.

In short, a more cautious diplomatic stance could have slowed the Allied buildup, giving the Third Reich a strategic breathing room it never enjoyed.

8 There Was No Holocaust

The systematic extermination of six million Jews not only stained history with unimaginable horror but also drained Germany of valuable human and material resources. By diverting manpower, trains, and industrial capacity toward genocide, the Nazis weakened their own war effort.

Beyond the logistical toll, the Holocaust galvanized global opinion against Hitler, providing moral clarity that spurred the Allies to a total war footing. The image of a regime bent on mass murder made it easier for the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union to rally their populations behind a common cause.

If the Nazi leadership had refrained from this atrocity, the moral impetus driving the Allied coalition would have been less potent, potentially delaying or diluting the massive mobilization that ultimately crushed the Third Reich.

7 Germany Had Coordinated With Japan On The Invasion Of The Soviet Union

When Germany attacked the Soviet Union alone, it faced a massive, well‑sized nation that could shift troops from Siberia to the front. Had Hitler synchronized his offensive with Japan, the Soviets would have been forced to fight a two‑front war, stretching their reserves thin.

Japanese forces advancing from the east would have pinned down the fresh Siberian divisions that historically turned the tide during the harsh winter of 1941‑42. This dual pressure could have prevented the Soviet Union from buying time, potentially allowing the Axis to deliver a crushing blow before the Red Army could regroup.

Coordinated Axis action might have shattered the strategic depth that the USSR relied upon, possibly leading to a very different outcome on the Eastern Front.

6 Hitler Didn’t Interfere With Battle Strategy

One of the most damaging habits was Hitler’s habit of micromanaging battlefield decisions, often overriding seasoned generals. By insisting on directing individual divisions from his headquarters, he relied on outdated intelligence that arrived too late to be useful.

For example, his order to hold positions around Moscow directly contradicted the advice of field commanders, resulting in massive casualties. Such interference prevented flexible, responsive tactics that could have adapted to shifting battlefield realities.

Historians argue that the Allies’ success in Normandy was as much a product of German command paralysis as it was of Allied firepower. In short, Hitler’s refusal to listen to professional military counsel crippled Germany’s operational effectiveness.

5 Hitler Did Not Order The Bombing Of British Cities

Initially, the Luftwaffe focused on crippling British airfields and industrial targets, achieving notable successes that threatened the RAF’s ability to defend the island. When the RAF retaliated with a raid on Berlin, Hitler, in a fit of anger, ordered a shift toward indiscriminate bombing of civilian centers.

This strategic pivot gave the RAF precious time to repair its damaged airfields and rebuild its fighter strength, ultimately allowing Britain to maintain air superiority. Had the Germans continued their precision campaign, the RAF might have been grounded long enough for a successful invasion.

Thus, the decision to bomb cities rather than sustain pressure on military targets arguably squandered a critical advantage.

4 Hitler Did Not Halt The Pursuit Of British Forces At Dunkirk

In May 1940, German panzer divisions surged toward the trapped British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk, poised to encircle and crush the 350,000‑strong force. At the last moment, Hitler issued a “halt” order, preferring slower infantry to finish the job.

This pause allowed the British to launch Operation Dynamo, mobilizing a flotilla of naval vessels, civilian yachts, and fishing boats to rescue the bulk of their troops. Only about 40,000 soldiers were captured, and the remainder returned to fight another day.

If the panzer corps had been allowed to press forward, the Allies could have suffered a catastrophic loss, potentially forcing Britain to capitulate early in the war.

3 Germany Did Not Invade Greece

Hitler believed that a swift strike against the Soviet Union in May 1941 would capture Moscow before the onset of winter. However, the decision to intervene in Greece, rescuing the faltering Italians, delayed the Eastern offensive by roughly six weeks.

This postponement gave the Red Army valuable time to reinforce and reorganize, ultimately preventing a rapid German victory. Had Germany bypassed Greece, the invasion of the USSR could have commenced earlier, potentially catching Soviet defenses unprepared and altering the campaign’s outcome.

In essence, the Greek detour squandered a critical window of opportunity that might have led to a decisive Axis triumph in the East.

2 Germany Did Not Fight On Two Fronts

Perhaps the most glaring strategic error was opening a two‑front war. After subduing France, Germany turned its attention eastward, stretching its resources across both the Western Front (Britain and the United States) and the Eastern Front (the Soviet Union).

Had Hitler focused on one theater at a time—first crushing Britain, then later turning east—the Wehrmacht could have concentrated its strength, avoiding the attrition that plagued the Eastern campaign. The dual‑front strain drained manpower, equipment, and morale, ultimately tipping the balance in favor of the Allies.

Some historians even speculate that if the non‑aggression pact with the USSR had been upheld longer, Stalin might have been persuaded to join the Axis, dramatically reshaping the geopolitical landscape.

1 Germany Exercised More Patience Before Starting The War

Germany’s premature plunge into a world‑wide conflict left its armed forces under‑prepared, particularly its navy. While the United States fielded aircraft carriers and a robust surface fleet, the German Kriegsmarine relied heavily on U‑boats, a legacy of the Versailles restrictions.

By 1939, the Third Reich had launched a global war with only four years of rearmament behind it. A decade of additional preparation could have yielded a more balanced navy, capable of challenging Allied sea power and supporting sustained operations across multiple theaters.

In short, a longer gestation period would have allowed Germany to refine its military doctrine, expand its industrial base, and perhaps create a warfighting capability that could have altered the outcome of World II.

When a film creates a bad guy with a shallow or nonexistent motive, the whole story loses its bite. Yet the opposite problem also exists: some antagonists are crafted with such sympathy and logic that we start questioning whether the supposed heroes truly earned their triumph. These ten characters blur the line between good and evil, prompting us to wonder if they might have been better off winning.

Top 10 Movie Villains: A Fresh Perspective

10 The EPA From Ghostbusters

Believe it or not, the real non‑spectral adversary in Ghostbusters is the Environmental Protection Agency. We’re led to dislike them simply because they try to regulate the Ghostbusters, and their representative, Walter Peck, comes off as a total annoyance. Still, Peck’s complaints are spot‑on. He simply asks to inspect the team’s hazardous waste storage—a perfectly reasonable request aimed at public safety.

Peck worries the proton packs and containment units could pose a danger if mishandled. Egon even warns that shutting down the containment unit would be “like dropping a bomb on the city,” and the proton packs are famously “don’t cross the streams.” As the plot unfolds, the team does exactly that, proving Peck’s caution was warranted. In short, his only crime? Caring about safety.

9 Tony Perkis From Heavyweights

Heavyweights may be underrated, but its story centers on a group of chubby kids sent to a camp to adopt healthier habits. The supposed villain is camp director and fitness guru Tony Perkis, who quickly tries to enforce better eating and exercise. That’s the twist: he’s vilified for doing his job—one that could literally save lives.

Perkis’s breakdown at the film’s climax paints him harshly, but remember he’s been tormented by the campers for months—imprisoned, starved, insulted, and even electrocuted when he tried to escape. His anger is understandable, given the kidnapping and humiliation he endured while merely trying to improve the children’s health.

8 Ultron From Avengers: Age of Ultron

Ultron isn’t a traditional hero, and calling him a “guy” is generous. His plan? Eradicate most of humanity so the survivors could evolve into a fitter, stronger species—or replace them entirely with his own copies. While certainly villainous, imagine if Ultron had succeeded; the upcoming Infinity Stone conflict would have unfolded dramatically differently.

With Ultron in charge, his factories would swap humans for vibranium‑clad battle bots, creating a hive‑mind focused on efficiency and survivability. He’d also snatch the Mind, Time, and Space Stones, giving him a decisive edge when Thanos eventually arrives.

7 Jurassic Park From Jurassic Park

The obvious antagonists in Jurassic Park are the dinosaurs, but the true villain is hubris. The film constantly circles around Jeff Goldblum’s character pointing out that overconfident figures like John Hammond try to control forces they shouldn’t. Yet they actually manage to do so—repeatedly.

Despite the chaos, Hammond’s vision yields successful dinosaur parks that push scientific boundaries and entertain millions. If not for the sabotage by Dennis Nedry, Hammond’s dream could have persisted, potentially delivering lasting benefits in genetics and entertainment. While hubris is risky, it also fuels progress.

6 The Replicants From Blade Runner

Blade Runner stands tall in sci‑fi and cyberpunk, yet at its core it follows a slave‑catcher hunting runaway androids—replicants—who are virtually indistinguishable from humans. These beings possess genuine emotions, intelligence, and even biological tissue, yet they’re forced into labor.

When a replicant attempts escape, a Blade Runner is dispatched to “retire” them, often with a bullet to the head. The film asks us to sympathize with the hunters, but the reality is that these sentient beings are treated as property, a disturbing reflection on how we view artificial life.

5 Killmonger From Black Panther

Erik Killmonger, played by Michael B. Jordan, is ruthless and murderous, yet he also embodies empathy, righteousness, and self‑sacrifice. His claim to the throne of Wakanda follows the proper royal ritual—combat—and he intends to end the nation’s isolationist stance.

Killmonger’s plan would disseminate Wakanda’s advanced tech and medicine worldwide, especially to descendants of African slaves facing systemic oppression. Though his tactics are violent, the ultimate outcome—a global technological leap and a drastic reduction in inequality—makes his cause compelling.

4 The White Walkers From Game of Thrones

The White Walkers certainly kill many, but humanity does the same—and more—often for petty reasons. Unlike humans, the Walkers resurrect their victims, granting them a form of semi‑immortality, and they appear to live in flawless harmony.

When you compare a society that murders for power with one that simply seeks species dominance, the Walkers’ orderly existence seems preferable. Their only crime is establishing their rule, after which they’d likely lounge, sipping icy drinks under perpetual winter.

3 Gollum From Lord of the Rings

Gollum isn’t a “he was right” case; rather, his victory would inadvertently save countless lives. He guarded the One Ring for nearly five centuries, during which no great war erupted. When Bilbo stole it, the entire saga of the War of the Ring began.

If Gollum had reclaimed the Ring at any point, it would have stayed hidden in a remote cavern, far from Sauron’s reach. The massive conflict that consumed Middle‑earth could have been avoided, sparing many characters—and perhaps even Sean Bean—from their fates.

2 The Director From Cabin in the Woods

The Cabin in the Woods satirizes horror by revealing a covert organization, the Facility, that orchestrates terrifying scenarios to appease ancient deities. The teens are sacrificed to keep those gods at bay, making the Facility’s operatives the true saviors of the world.

When the protagonists thwart the ritual, they unintentionally unleash a primordial god that annihilates humanity. In this twisted logic, sacrificing five teenagers would have preserved eight billion lives—a grim but logical cost‑benefit analysis.

1 Everyone But the X‑Men From X‑Men

The X‑Men are iconic, but their existence poses a global security nightmare. Mutants wield powers that could wreak havoc if left unchecked—walking through walls, mind‑controlling crowds, or ripping metal from bodies. Every X‑Men villain argues that such abilities are too dangerous to ignore.

Senator Kelley raises valid concerns: a teen who can freeze blood or rewrite reality could cause chaos. The unchecked power of mutants, many of whom discover their abilities at puberty, threatens societal stability, suggesting that the world might be safer without them.

10 ways things invites us to imagine a world where the Confederacy emerged victorious. Alternate history lets us remix real events, and the American Civil War is the ultimate playground. That clash shaped the modern United States like nothing else, centering on the legality and spread of slavery. Historians and hobbyists alike have long speculated how the institution of slavery might have persisted or faded if the South had won the war.

10 ways things Explored in Depth

10 The Battle Of Gettysburg Would Have Been A Different Kind Of Turning Point

The Battle of Gettysburg stands in history as the Union’s decisive moment, but in a world where the South seized victory, its legacy would flip entirely. General Robert E. Lee’s daring push into Pennsylvania was originally intended to cripple the Union’s advance and force a peace settlement. In reality, the Union repelled the assault, delivering a crushing blow to Confederate hopes. In the alternate timeline, however, Lee’s forces would have overrun the Union positions, delivering a staggering defeat that halted northern offensives.

With the North reeling from such a loss, a hurried peace treaty would have been signed in July 1863, ending hostilities and cementing a Confederate foothold in the east. The CSA would have retreated to its core territories without annexing Pennsylvania, while the Union would regroup along the newly‑drawn borders and turn its eye westward, racing toward the Pacific with fresh ambitions.

9 Two Separate Countries Or 48 Individual Nations

Immediately after the cease‑fire, the line between the Union and the Confederacy would become a heavily guarded demilitarized zone, choking the flow of enslaved people northward and making it difficult for Union sympathizers to cross south. The most dramatic shift would be the scramble for western lands. The Pacific‑coast states such as California, Oregon, and Washington would likely stay with the Union, while the CSA would claim the seceded states and stretch west to incorporate Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Arizona. Texas might either stand alone as an independent republic or cling to the Confederacy.

Both fledgling nations would be financially exhausted, raising the specter that individual states could break away from their parent country. If that happened, the United States as we know it would dissolve, the Constitution would become a relic, and each former state would act as its own sovereign entity, complete with its own military, treasury, and diplomatic corps. Borders would shift over time as new conflicts erupted among these mini‑nations.

8 The Conflict Would Have Continued For Decades

A victorious CSA at Gettysburg would not have sealed peace forever; rather, it would have opened a new chapter of frontier warfare. As settlers pushed west, both nations would clash over coveted rivers, mineral veins, and prime cattle ranges. Skirmishes over these resources could easily erupt into full‑blown wars, pitting the Union against the Confederacy in a protracted, blood‑soaked rivalry that might even outlast the original Civil War.

Even if outright war were avoided, the loss of the Mississippi River to the South would cripple Union logistics, forcing the North to scramble for alternative trade routes. This pressure would accelerate the displacement and extermination of Indigenous peoples across the plains as both sides raced to claim the most valuable territories.

7 No Democrats In The USA & No Republicans In The CSA

The United States has long been dominated by a two‑party system, and a post‑war America would likely retain that structure, but the partisan landscape would be dramatically reshaped. In the 1860s, the Democratic Party championed the Southern way of life—including slavery—while the Republican Party fought for emancipation and a smaller federal footprint. If the Confederacy triumphed, the Democrats would cement their dominance in the South, whereas the Republicans might either dominate the North or wither away entirely.

Lincoln’s Republican platform would lose its foothold, and the party could either dissolve or reinvent itself over the ensuing decades. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party’s grip on the Confederate government would persist, shaping policies around the preservation of the slave‑based economy and states’ rights. Smaller third parties would surface, but the entrenched two‑party order would likely endure for generations.

6 No War With Spain And No Spanish Independence

The Spanish‑American War of 1898 erupted after the mysterious sinking of the USS Maine—a disaster that, in our timeline, propelled the United States onto the world stage. Without a united America to rally behind, that conflict would probably never have happened. Spain would have retained control over Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam, keeping its colonial empire intact well into the twentieth century.

Absent American involvement in the Pacific, the United States would not have built the overseas naval presence that later proved crucial in World War II. Moreover, many future American leaders who cut their teeth in the Spanish‑American War—like Theodore Roosevelt—would have taken different paths, reshaping the political and military culture of the United States.

5 The USA Would Not Have Entered WWI

When Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914, Europe spiraled into a catastrophic war. In our reality, the United States entered the fray in 1917 and helped tip the balance toward an Allied victory. In a world split between a Union and a Confederacy, neither side would likely have possessed the resources or political will to intervene meaningfully.

Consequently, World War I could have dragged on for years longer, reshaping the post‑war settlement. Germany might have faced a less punitive peace, perhaps averting the economic collapse that fueled the rise of fascism. The absence of American troops would also have altered the geopolitical map of Europe, potentially preventing the emergence of a Second World War as we know it.

4 Lincoln Wouldn’t Have Been Assassinated, And Grant Would Be #18

John Wilkes Booth’s motive to kill Abraham Lincoln hinged on the Union’s victory; a Confederate triumph would have removed his perceived grievance. Lincoln, stripped of the triumph that buoyed his second‑term campaign, would have likely faded from the political arena after his first term, his legacy forever altered.

Ulysses S. Grant’s meteoric rise also depended on the Union’s success at Gettysburg. Without that turning point, Grant would never have become the celebrated general who later secured the presidency as the 18th commander‑in‑chief. The Republican Party, deprived of its wartime hero, might have dissolved or transformed dramatically, leaving the political landscape of the United States unrecognizable.

3 International Trade Would Explode For The CSA

The Union’s naval blockade strangled the Confederacy’s economy throughout the war. Once hostilities ceased, that blockade would disappear, unleashing a flood of commerce between the South, the North, and the wider world. Cotton and tobacco—already prized global commodities—would surge back onto European markets, and the CSA would begin negotiating trade deals on its own terms.

The United States, eager to rebuild its own economy, would also expand its manufacturing exports, sparking a new era of commercial rivalry across the Atlantic and Pacific. While neither nation would ever match the modern United States’ trade volume, both would enjoy robust, mutually beneficial economies well into the twentieth century.

2 The Geopolitical World Would Look Very Different Today

The United States’ emergence as a global superpower in the twentieth century hinged on its decisive involvement in both World Wars. A divided America would have left a power vacuum that the Soviet Union could have filled, potentially reshaping the post‑war order and spreading communism far beyond its historical borders.

In this alternate setting, the USSR might dominate Europe and Asia, while the Union and the Confederacy scramble to protect their own interests. The two American nations could eventually be forced to reunite under a shared defense pact to counterbalance Soviet expansion.

Interesting fact: the flag displayed here is the third official banner of the Confederate States, known colloquially as the “blood‑stained banner.” Its design evolved from the original “Stars and Bars” to the later “Stainless Banner,” with the red edge added to avoid confusion with a surrender flag.

1 Slavery Would Have Continued For Some Time

Slavery was the spark that ignited the Civil War, and a Confederate victory would have ensured its persistence well into the twentieth century. While the trans‑Atlantic slave trade would have largely ceased—most nations had already outlawed it—the domestic institution of chattel slavery would have remained legal throughout the CSA, with new states joining as slave‑holding territories as the nation pushed westward.

Industrialization demanded a skilled, literate workforce, something slavery could not provide. Over time, economic pressures would force the South to modernize, gradually reducing reliance on forced labor. Nonetheless, wealthy households and large plantations would likely cling to the practice well into the modern era, especially in regions where mechanization lagged.

The expansion of the CSA would see each newly admitted state adopt slavery, while the Union’s western territories would evolve as free states. This bifurcated development would create a patchwork of economies, with the South’s agricultural output increasingly outpaced by the North’s industrial might.

Even as the Industrial Revolution reshaped the global economy, the Confederacy’s entrenched slave system would hinder its competitiveness. Over the decades, slavery would wane, but it would not vanish entirely, persisting in isolated enclaves and elite households into the twenty‑first century.

For a tongue‑in‑cheek look at this alternate reality, see the mockumentary “C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America,” which imagines a world where the South won the war.

In 1913, French agricultural engineer Max Ringelmann studied people playing tug of war. His studies resulted in the observation of the Ringelmann Effect. It posits that the more individuals or groups are involved in an action, the less effort exerted by any individual unit. After all, there’s less blame that will be put on any specific unit in the event of failure, and less credit in success. Not to mention more infighting, confusion, chokepoints, bottlenecks, and so on. As we’ll see, Ringelmann’s Effect can definitely be a valid principle. 

For the purposes of this list, the largest unit covered will be a “brigade.” In the army, a brigade is a collection of regiments (usually around four). A regiment is a group of battalions (often two) and a battalion is a group of companies, and companies are generally around 100 troops. As we’ll also see, sometimes a company is a much larger group of soldiers than what is needed to change the course of a battle, and with it, often history.   

10. The 303rd Squadron

Despite the fact the nation of Poland surrendered less than a month after Germany invaded on September 1, 1939, that was by no means the end of Polish military involvement in the Second World War. In August 1940, the 303rd Squadron was formed out of refugee pilots from the 1st Police Air Force Regiment that gathered in Blackpool, England. Trained on outmoded planes back in Poland, they took to their Hawker Hurricanes with such vigor that they shot to the top of the Royal Air Force ranking for the Battle of Britain and stayed there for essentially the duration of the war, shooting down three times the number of enemy planes for an average RAF squadron while suffering one third the casualties. On September 7, 1940 alone they shot down 14 Luftwaffe planes without suffering a single casualty. 

Plenty of experts both then and in recent years have given the 303rd Squadron credit for being the key to victory. Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding said that if it weren’t for their contribution in the Battle of Britain, “I hesitate to say the outcome would be the same.” Carl Cruff of the New England Air Museum said of the 303rd “…they were able to turn the tide of history.” Despite their amazing performance, for decades their contribution was downplayed, largely due to Poland’s presence behind the Iron Curtain increasing tensions with the British government for being unable to keep the promise of returning the Poles to their liberated homeland.     

9. Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry 

By Western standards at least, it’s not ideal for a group of soldiers to have the word “princess” in their regiment’s name, and this was particularly the case in the 1950s. The teasing very likely came to an end after the events of April 24-25, 1951. That was when the 2nd Battalion of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry was deployed to Hill 677 to defend the withdrawal of the South Korean army across the Kapyong River Valley, about 10 miles from the 38th Parallel, in response to a massive Chinese offensive. 

To show just what the 700 Canadians were up against, on April 23, the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment clashed with the Chinese and were forced to withdraw after suffering heavy losses. The next day 5,000 Chinese troops began waves of assaults on the Canadians, including under cover of night. Desperate measures were needed to hold the line, such as one wounded private needing to launch one-man counterattacks three times. At another point Lt. Michael Levy resorted to requesting Canadian artillery bombard his own position to halt an attack. Towards the end of the battle the Canadians were completely cut off, saved only by air-dropped supplies. Ultimately, their sacrifice and bravery would buy the United Nations forces time to regroup and stymie the larger Chinese offensive.      

8. 1st Tank Brigade

Let’s talk about, by far, the most recent events on this list. It’s time to turn our attention to Chernihiv, a city in Ukraine roughly 60 miles north of Kiev. When the Russian Invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, this brigade of roughly 150 tanks and 1,200 troops was the only force that stood between the city of 230,000 people and the Russian 41st Combined Arms Group, which included more than 10 battalions. As early as February 25, the 1st Brigade had brought the 41st to a standstill. 

By March 6, the greatly outnumbered brigade was being predicted to surrender as its supply lines were in danger of encirclement. Instead, it not only held out, but suffered much lower casualties than expected and managed the feat of shooting down Russian aircraft. By March 23, having suffered 10,000 casualties, the 41st had fallen back to change strategy, handing the Ukrainians a surprise victory. 

7. The Cavalry Reserve at Poitiers

Now that relatively current events are out of the way, this next entry is going to the other end of the timeline and taking us to the Middle Ages. As far as major battles of the Hundred Years War (1340-1457) go, the 1356 CE Battle of Poitiers is often overshadowed by the Battle of Crécy a decade earlier, and the Battle of Agincourt half a century later. After the end of the 10-year ceasefire in the wake of the milestone victory at Crécy, an English force of 12,000 under the command of Prince Edward “The Black” raided into central France. They were caught by an army of 40,000 French under the command of King John II, and despite an attempted retreat on Prince Edward’s part, on September 19 the battle began. 

While the longbowmen once again had a devastating effect on the French – just as they had at Crécy – this time it was by no means such a lopsided fight. Attacking in three main waves, they threatened to break the English army. Edward sent a force of 160 cavalrymen around the French army, which spread a panic among the French that they were being surrounded. This sneak attack resulted in a rout so bad that King John II was captured, his ransom not paid until 1360.  

6. Zvika Force    

In 1973, Syria invaded Israel near the Golan Heights. One man who was determined to stop them was 21-year-old Zvika Greengold. He had finished hitchhiking to Nafekh Base and was sent to collect wounded from two damaged Centurion tanks. Instead, Goldman and company repaired the tanks and intercepted a Syrian column in Russian T-55s. After knocking six enemy tanks out of commission, Zvika Force switched to the other tank to continue the fight, bluffing masses of Syrian tanks and their own Israeli superiors, and convincing them that there simply had to be more than one tank out there taking on dozens of enemies. 

Eventually Zvika Force joined a group of a dozen other tanks. While fighting more than 100 additional tanks, Zvika Force repeatedly had to defend Nafekh by itself. In the end, it was 30 hours before Zvika and company left their Centurion tank, having bought more than enough time to reinforce the base and stop the invasion. The story was later heavily criticized for being propaganda. To be sure, there was some exaggeration of his exploits. For example, some reports swelled the number of kills Zvika Force inflicted to 60 tanks, which Greengold himself said was nonsense. Still, the heroism of this skeleton tank crew was not to be denied. 

5. Beale’s Rifle Company 

The popular image of the 1815 Battle of New Orleans is basically redcoat soldiers marching to be shot en masse by Americans while inflicting negligible casualties in response, and two weeks after the war was over to boot. But that famously misguided charge was the end result of several engagements that began in December 1814, and earlier in the battle things had been going much more favorably for the British. In the first clash, the British captured five American gunships at Lake Borgne and took the initiative. 

Then on the night of December 23, 1814, the British infantry encountered Beale’s Rifle Company at the Villere Plantation. Although the battle ended in a stalemate and the casualties were about even, British morale was badly shaken and further attacks were delayed, giving plenty of time to reinforce the defenses for when the British launched their famous doomed attack on January 8 the next year. Unusually for a group that so greatly distinguished themselves in a rough fight, Beale’s Rifle Company was composed of merchants and lawyers. Twenty years after the battle, the members were provided land grants.  

4. Rosecrans at Rich Mountain

On July 11, 1861, early in the American Civil War, a Northern army under General George McClellan stood opposite a Southern army under General Robert Garnett at Rich Mountain, Virginia. The Southerners were defending two Appalachian mountain passes and the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike, which would be instrumental if the Confederacy wanted to end the break away of northwestern Virginia counties. McClellan sent a brigade of troops under General William Rosencrans to flank the Confederates. Rosecrans did so, then launched an attack as ordered.

As reported by veteran John Beatty in his 1879 memoir The Citizen Soldier, McClellan and his troops could easily hear the battle going on in the enemy’s rear, and the troops were waiting for McClellan to order the attack be pressed home. But McClellan decided to forgo any such attack because he believed Rosencrans was beyond saving. In fact, Rosencrans’s brigade had defeated the southerners and captured half of their army. 

3. 8th Hussar Cavalry

On January 22, 1795, Holland was at war with France as the French Revolutionary Wars were raging. A fleet of fourteen Dutch ships froze in the waters near Hexel Island, roughly 50 miles north of Amsterdam. Well-armed, the vessels were ready for an attack by ships from unfrozen waters or by artillery bombardment.

So, General Jean-Charles Pichergu turned to a more unusual weapon for battling gunboats, and ordered a cavalry charge on the ships. The 8th Hussar Cavalry caught the ships so completely off guard that they surrendered faster than the French had dared hope in one of the more unusual events in military history. 

2. Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon

When the Wehrmacht launched its final Blitzkrieg on December 18, 1944 to begin the Battle of the Bulge, the I&R Platoon of the 394th Infantry Regiment near Lanzerath, Belgium were just 18 men, a group led by a 20-year-old Lieutenant Lyle Bouck. After spotting the approach of the 1st SS Panzer Division, the platoon’s communications with high command were cut by a two hour artillery bombardment, and a group of more than 250 organized paratroopers attacked. Unfortunately for the attackers, the platoon had already received their orders to hold at all costs. 

Over the course of the next day, the platoon inflicted 200 enemy casualties and stalled the advance for most of a day until 50 paratroopers successfully organized a flanking attack at dusk. Amazingly they only suffered one wounded casualty when Bouck was shot in the leg and one death. The Battle of Lanzerath would provide such an invaluable delay that it knocked practically the entire northern German attack off schedule by 18 hours, allowing massively better preparation for defenses and organizing counterattacks. It wouldn’t be until 1981 that the remarkable stand was recognized and the platoon became the most heavily decorated of the US military.     

1. The Lost Battalion

Speaking of battles between Americans and Germans that came down to a huge degree to the actions of one small group, on October 2, 1918, 700 soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 308th Infantry under Major Charles Whittlesley attacked the Germans along the Charlevaux Ravine in the Argonne Forest. While units on either of their flanks stalled, those nine companies reached their objective (by some accounts through a breakthrough, by others because the Germans lured them in through an ordered withdrawal) and then were cut off by the 2nd Landwehr Division. Over the next five days the battalion was subjected to almost relentless sniping, machine-gunning, and attacks.  

Not only did those isolated troops face countless attacks by a vastly superior force alone, the one point where they got support from the rest of the Allied army, it actually helped the German Army. On October 4, the 152nd Field Artillery Brigade began a bombardment of the area in an attempt to relieve the battalion, but due to faulty information their shells overwhelmingly landed on their fellow troops, killing 30 of them.

The Germans were well aware of this, and when the Americans sent pigeons back to command to call for an end to the bombardment, the German snipers gunned them down. The one pigeon that got through arrived with a wound from a German bullet. The end of the bombardment meant the resumption of German assaults, but even out of food and low on ammo they were able to repulse the attacks, and the attempt to destroy the battalion tied down the German troops sufficiently for the rest of the American offensive to break through. Only less than 200 came out of the battle still able-bodied, having done much to bring about the end of the First World War the month after.   

Dustin Koski wrote Return of the Living, a postapocalyptic supernatural comedy.

The British Empire was the largest empire in history in terms of landmass, as well as one of the most formidable military powers in the world at its peak. From Napoleonic France to southeast Asia to the Americas, Great Britain was known for its spectacular successes on the battlefield, often against much larger, better-armed enemies. 

Of course, you can’t win every battle you fight. Like every other powerful empire in history, the grand story of the British Empire also contains quite a few accounts of massive, catastrophic military upsets. 

10. Battle Of Isandlwana

The Battle of Isandlwana was the first engagement of the Anglo-Zulu war – a major conflict in the south-eastern part of South Africa involving the Zulu kingdom and Great Britain. Fought on January 22, 1879, it would be one of the bloodiest defeats suffered by British forces at the hands of a native army, despite their considerable superiority in military technology. 

Armed with rockets and state-of-the-art breech loading rifles – compared to old school melee weapons like pikes and spears on the Zulu side – the British forces were caught off guard by the sheer number of the Zulu army. Lord Chelmsford, who led the attack, vastly underestimated their will to fight, too, and by the end of the day, a big chunk of the British force was decimated. 

It was the first battle of the Anglo-Zulu war, and while the Zulus were eventually defeated after a six-month campaign, the battle at Isandlwana is still counted as a major British defeat in colonial-era Africa. It was a part of the larger British efforts to form a South African confederation in the region, directly challenging the autonomy of multiple, ethnically-diverse African states like Zululand. 

9. First Anglo-Boer War

The First Anglo-Boer War – also known as the First Transvaal War of Independence, or the Transvaal rebellion – could be seen as an extension of the global British-Dutch rivalry at the time, though the Boers weren’t actually Dutch citizens. While they did predominantly come from a Dutch lineage and spoke Dutch as their first language, Boers included descendants of settlers from all over Western Europe. 

British incursions into Boer territory started long before the war, though it was the annexation of Transvaal in 1877 – one of the territories governed by the Boers – that really triggered it. The war – or more accurately the rebellion – began in December 1880, pitting the British empire against an equivalently armed and well trained enemy. 

As you can guess from the general theme of this list, it didn’t go too well for the British. The Boers turned out to be much better at fighting in that terrain, as they regularly used firearms for hunting. They had much better weapons and tactics, too, and the British forces were regularly faced with mobile, mounted groups of riflemen. 

The war ended with the decisive battle of Majuba Hill in February 1881, when the Boers successfully stormed the British position of Majuba Hill manned by over 400 soldiers. More than 22,000 British soldiers lost their lives throughout this campaign, with over 6,000 casualties on the Boer side. 

8. Siege Of Kut

The Battle of Kut was fought during the Mesopotamian campaign of the First World War. About 100 miles southeast of Baghdad, Kut was then a strategically crucial town due to its proximity to oil – a resource that would change warfare forever. 

On December 7, 1915, the Ottoman army laid siege to the town, garrisoned by a British force of about 10,000 soldiers. While it was later strengthened by a relief contingent of about 30,000 soldiers, the siege would still end in a disaster for the Brits.

In an almost five-month-long siege, Ottoman forces – despite being overwhelmingly outnumbered – killed more than 30,000 British soldiers, making it one of the deadliest military engagements in British history. More than 13,000 soldiers were taken prisoner by the end of it, including six generals and 476 officers. 

7. Battle Of Tug Argan

The East African campaign of WW2 is a largely forgotten phase of the war, and perhaps rightly so, too. Mostly controlled by the British, the region had little strategic value for either side, though it still saw some of the heaviest fighting of the war outside the main European and Pacific theaters. 

The Battle of Tug Argan was an early fight during the campaign, fought between Italian and British forces on August 11, 1940. It was a lightly defended position, as they didn’t expect Italian forces to venture so far into British-controlled territory for an outpost that could at best be described as ‘occasionally hospitable’. It was, however, great for morale among Italian troops, which could come in handy elsewhere. 

Despite their heavy fortifications, the British forces were overrun within less than five days, though at a high cost for Italy. Despite their numeric advantage, the Italian force lost over 2,000 soldiers that day. British casualties numbered around 250, as they successfully managed to retreat from the position before it was stormed. 

6. Battle Of Gazala

The Gazala line refers to a heavily fortified Allied position that had developed west of Tobruk – a port city in Libya – during the North African campaign of WW2. Its primary purpose was to hold the city, which had been put under siege by German and Italian forces during the earlier phases of the campaign. By May 1942, the line was manned and defended almost entirely by the British Eighth Army; a formation especially trained for combat and reconnaissance in the desert, even if that would do little to stop the Axis war machine. Well, at first, anyway.  

On May 26, the 50-mile-long line came under heavy attack from Italian and German forces led by Erwin Rommel, also known as the Desert Fox for his achievements in this theater. By even conservative estimates, the British formation – made up of soldiers from its colonies and the Free French Republic – numbered close to 175,000, outnumbering Rommel’s force by more than 2:1. 

While the defenders proved to be stubbornly resistant, the Eighth Army was eventually unable to maintain its supply lines, unlike Rommel, who was regularly supplied by the Italian command centers in Libya and across the Mediterranean. Tobruk fell on June 21, and the remaining Allied forces were surrounded and forced to retreat across the Egyptian border. Over 50,000 soldiers lost their lives throughout this battle, and about 35,000 were taken captive, compared to a loss of about 3,300 soldiers for Germany and Italy.

5. The Medway Raid

The Dutch raid on the Medway dockyards in 1667 came at the worst time possible. Just on the heels of the Great Fire of London and a devastating outbreak of the bubonic plague that killed upto 100,000 people, the country was also engaged in an increasingly intense war with the Dutch. The raid, however, would prove to be its most intense and devastating phase. 

Unlike the latter years of the empire, this was a time when other maritime empires – like the Dutch and Portuguese – posed a considerable challenge to the Royal Navy. The raid started on June 12, when Dutch ships passed the defensive chain on British shores and proceeded to lay waste to the entire docks. Many fortifications, smaller boats and canon batteries were destroyed, in exchange for minimal losses for the Dutch. The destruction was so massive that it looked like the sea was on fire, and by the end of it, the Dutch had captured four ships, including HMS Royal Charles. It was easily the largest British defeat on home soil, and it would take years before the Royal Navy was restored to its full capacity. 

4. Battle Of Carillon

The Battle of Carillon was a part of the larger French and Indian War, which was in turn a part of the larger Seven Years’ War between Britain and France. Fought at Fort Carillon – a well defended French position between Lake George and Lake Chaplain in New York – it would see some of the heaviest fighting of the war.

The battle began on July 6, 1758. Despite the overwhelming numerical superiority of the British contingent, it would hardly take a couple of days for the French – allied with various native groups in the region – to drive them away. By even the most conservative estimates, the fort was stormed by at least 15,000 British soldiers, compared to about 3,600 French defenders. 

While the British troops were well-trained and battle-ready, the attack was made without the use of artillery, resulting in heavy losses and a quick defeat. By the end of it, more than 2,000 British soldiers were killed or wounded in the attempt, compared to just over 300 casualties on the French side. 

3. First Anglo-Afghan War

British forces from India invaded Afghanistan in March 1839, marking the beginning of the first Anglo-Afghan War. It was a part of a larger cold war brewing between Russia and Britain for much of the 19th century. If Afghanistan was invaded by Russia, they feared that it could be then used to launch an invasion of British-held India – by then one of the most lucrative colonial enterprises in the world. 

The invasion force was made up of 20,000 soldiers, along with a caravan of about 38,000 civilians hoping to resettle the country after it was smoothly taken over, like it usually went for the Brits. That’s what happened, too, at least during the first phase. The British war machine was able to topple the existing emir – Dost Mohammad – with relative ease by August 1839, replacing him with the puppet, pro-British ruler, Shuja Shah. 

While it was an easy place to conquer, Afghanistan would prove to be an impossible territory to hold. For more than two years, British forces in Kabul fought a violent insurgency on all sides, including murders of a few high profile British officers inside Kabul. With a vastly outnumbered force – as most of the initial members of the caravan had already moved back home to India – the British force began a retreat in January 1842 with a total of about 16,000 people. It would turn into a massacre, as the whole column was harrassed and attacked by Afghan fighters until they reached Jalalabad. By ‘they’, we mean ‘him’, as only one British officer was able to survive this ordeal, as the entire column was decimated on the way.

2. Gallipoli Campaign

The Gallipoli campaign during WW1 aimed to strike at the heart of the Ottoman empire – Istanbul. The allied force was massive – over 480,000 troops took part in the campaign, though most of them would never make it back. A bulk of it was British troops, along with smaller contingents from Australia, New Zealand, Russia and other allied countries. 

The overall objective was to achieve complete allied superiority over the Gallipoli peninsula, which could then be used as a base for direct attacks on Istanbul. Despite heavy losses of the Royal Navy under the command of Winston Churchill – then the First Lord of Admiralty in the British Navy – the allies managed to capture a few positions on the beach in February, 1915, which would soon be turned into a network of trench lines similar to those in Europe. 

For about a year, the allies tried to maintain their positions, though they were no match for the entrenched and well-equipped Ottoman force. Moreover, they were able to reinforce their positions much faster than the allies, who were also suffering from deadly outbreaks of diseases like dysentery.

The allied force capitulated in January 1916, though only after suffering heavy losses. Both sides suffered over 250,000 casualties, though some estimates put that number even higher. 

1. Battle Of Singapore

When WW2 broke out in the east, Singapore was easily one of the most heavily-defended British strongholds in the region. They had spent much of the inter-war period strengthening its defenses, especially in the navy department, as it was vulnerable to attacks from the rapidly-militarizing Japanese empire. When the Japanese did attack, however, all that would do little to stop it.

The assault began on February 8, 1942, when Japanese forces – numbering over 23,000 – landed on the island and established a beachhead. While the British outnumbered them by over 3:1, the Japanese had almost complete air superiority over the region, thanks to their earlier territorial gains in Malaysia. The infantry divisions were no match for the elite Japanese units, either, and by February 15, the entire British-led force was forced to surrender. Over 90,000 allied combatants were taken prisoner that day, many of whom would later succumb to the horrors of a Japanese POW camp.

French efforts to expand its overseas empire go as far back as the 16th century, though it wasn’t until 1605 that a settled outpost was established in what is now Nova Scotia, Canada. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, it would grow to be one of the largest and wealthiest empires in history, with colonies spread across the Americas, Africa, Middle East, Indian subcontinent, and southeast Asia at its peak. Much of that was made possible by military conquest, as the French army was also a potent and formidable military force, often equipped with state-of-the-art technology and made up of conscripts from around the world.

Of course, the French imperial army also went through its fair share of military defeats, much like every other empire in history. Despite its technological superiority and vast numbers, the French empire faced many worthy enemies throughout its existence. That includes two large wars of independence in Indochina – now Vietnam – and Algeria, and the largest slave rebellion ever in Haiti, among other lesser-known conflicts fought around the world.

10. Korea

The French invasion of Korea in 1866 was triggered by the persecution of Christians ongoing across the country at that time. In February, seven French Catholic missionaries were executed on the orders of the imperial regent of Korea, drawing a disproportionate response from the French forces stationed in the Far East.

Fighting was largely limited to Ganghwa island – a strategic location on the Han river en route to Seoul. For six weeks beginning in October, the French forces occupying the island made multiple attempts to advance towards the heavily-fortified capital, though to little success. The Korean army was better-equipped and numerically-superior, with the added ‘home ground’ advantage. The invasion resulted in a humiliating defeat for the French, which massively reduced its influence in the region for years to come. 

9. Austria

The Battle of Neerwinden was fought on March 18, 1793 between France and an Austrian army led by the Habsburg Prince Frederick Josias. While not a major battle on its own, it was an important engagement in the larger French Revolutionary wars – a series of conflicts between post-revolution France and a coalition of European monarchies. 

It was the first French defeat in the otherwise-successful invasion of the Austrian Netherlands, setting the stage for further setbacks against the Habsburgs during the following year. Despite the revolutionary morale and numerical superiority of the French troops, they were no match for the trained, experienced army wielded by Austria. By the end of it, the French army was forced to retreat with losses of over 4,000 soldiers, compared to about 2,000 lives lost on the Austrian side. 

8. China

The 1859 Battle of Taku Forts in China happened in the backdrop of the Opium Wars – a decades-long war that pitted the British and French empire against imperial China. It was a large-scale conflict occasionally involving other European powers, fought primarily over trading rights in China. While the western nations ultimately won the war, the battle at Taku Forts was a huge setback for both Britain and France, forcing them to retreat and return with a much larger force. 

On June 25, allied forces began bombarding the forts – a strategic location on the way to the capital city of Peking, now Beijing. A contingent of soldiers was also sent to overrun the garrison, though the combined attack was soon halted and repulsed by the heavily-fortified defensive positions of the Chinese. Out of 1,100 invading soldiers, 434 were killed or wounded that day, with four of their gunboats sunk.  

7. Mexico

Cinco de Mayo is often confused with Mexico’s independence day, though it’s actually the date of a major Mexican victory against French forces back in 1862. Known as the Battle of Puebla, it was one of the many small and large-scale battles fought during the Second French Intervention in Mexico – an invasion launched by Napoleon III to replace the nascent Mexican republic with a conservative French puppet state. 

At the time, Puebla was the second largest Mexican city, located at a strategic location on the way to the capital. The French – emboldened by earlier victories in the campaign and the overwhelming technological and military superiority of their forces – attacked the city on May 5. While the defending army was made up of volunteers and poorly-trained militias armed with basic weapons like machetes, they were able to hold off the French advance, eventually forcing them to retreat. 

The victory at Puebla galvanized Mexican resistance against colonialism. While France did take Puebla and Mexico City in 1863, they could never hold the territory due to irregular warfare waged by Mexican rebels across the countryside. After nearly six years of fighting, French forces completely withdrew from Mexico in March, 1867. 

6. Japan

When France was successfully invaded and occupied by Germany during the early phases of the Second World War, many of its overseas properties were still controlled by imperial French troops. Sensing an opportunity, Japan signed a pact with the collaborationist Vichy government to station more than 6,000 troops in French Indochina – a colonial-era name for the countries of Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. 

Without warning, a full-scale Japanese invasion was launched on September 22, 1940, as infantry columns breached the border at three places. For close to five days, colonial French troops and Foreign Legionaires fought the Imperial Japanese Army for control of major strategic points, though they were eventually defeated by the superior Japanese airpower and armor.

5. Prussia

The Franco-Prussian War began in July 1870, when the French emperor Napoleon III ordered his troops to mount a full-scale invasion of Prussia – then a loose confederation of German states under the leadership of Otto von Bismarck. While the immediate cause was a dispute regarding the Spanish throne, the war was fought in the backdrop of a larger rivalry between Prussia and France – at that point two of the most powerful states in Europe. 

The war ended in disaster for France. Despite being evenly matched in terms of numbers, Prussia was able to deploy a large number of troops to the battlefield within a few days’ time. French soldiers, on the other hand, were usually unequipped or late to the front, resulting in catastrophic losses for one of the most technologically-advanced military forces of the time.

The war ended with the Siege of Paris and eventual French defeat in 1971, and it would have lasting consequences for Europe in the years to come. In France, it ended Napoleon’s reign and established the French Third Republic. In Germany, it reinforced popular faith in German militarism and united the previously-separate Prussian states into a singular German empire. 

4. Vietnam

The First Indochina war between France and communist rebels in Vietnam – then Indochina – began almost as soon as the end of WW2. As Japan signed the surrender terms on September 2, 1945, an independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam was declared by the Viet Minh leader Ho Chi Minh on the same day, setting the stage for a years-long conflict that would significantly erode the strength of the French colonial empire.

While fighting was limited to small-scale, low-intensity skirmishes in the early years, all that changed in 1949 after the successful revolution in China. The Viet Minh deployed increasingly aggressive guerrilla tactics across North Vietnam and parts of South Vietnam, prompting the United States and other western powers to get involved. 

The war came to an end with the siege of Dien Bien Phu – a mountain outpost near the Laotian border occupied by France. While heavily fortified and regularly supplied from air, the garrison couldn’t withstand the overwhelming assault by Viet Minh forces. The garrison was overrun within two months beginning in March, 1954, bringing a decisive and bloody end to the French colonial empire in Asia. 

3. Algeria

The Algerian War of Independence against colonial French rule was one of the largest conflicts of the 20th century. Beginning in 1954 and lasting until 1962, more than 1.5 million Algerians may have died throughout the war, though the real numbers could be far higher. Much of the violence could be attributed to French retaliation against revolutionary activities by the Algerians, particularly those allied with the National Liberation Front (FLN), including summary executions, rape, and torture against the native civilian population.

The most intense phase of the war was the Battle of Algiers in 1956-57, where Algerian rebels deployed increasingly-brutal combat techniques to break the French will to fight. While retaliation was often swift and disproportionate, the ferocity of the fighting quickly turned the French citizenry against the war. France did make some breakthroughs from 1958 and 1959, though growing anti-war pressure at home and abroad forced Charles de Gaulle to sign a peace agreement in 1962, ending more than 132 years of French rule in Algeria. 

2. Russia